Close and Casual
by BitterSweetNitemare
Summary: It wasn't uncommon for her to casually stay over at his headquarters for a night or two. It sounded way more intimate to others than it actually was. Well, it wasn't like they slept in the same bed… all the time. It was just, um, "friendly housing." IchiRuki Fluff Oneshot


**Just a stupid little oneshot that popped in my head. Please ignore any mistakes, and I hope you like it!  
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**Disclaimer: **Why I would choose to claim this as my own? I don't know, so yes, I do not claim Bleach as my own.

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_**Close and Casual**_

After feeling her head rock downwards, Rukia instantly shot her head back up, opening her eyes in realization that she had just fallen asleep. She blinked a few times and yawned, shivering at the cold breeze moving into her office through the open shoji doors. She must have left them open to get some air before, and probably forgot to close them.

Sitting up, rather snuggly under the kotatsu, she glowered down at the neglected paperwork that stared back at her, definitely not feeling in the mood to work on it. She picked up her phone, which was adorning a cute bunny case, and checked the time. Finding that it was a perfectly acceptable time to leave, she yawned, cleaning up the papers scattered atop the table. As she was about to get up, she groaned, suddenly finding the motivation to get out under the warm kotatsu rather difficult to muster. It was winter right now, one of her favorite seasons, but she was just so warm!

She sat for another five minutes, before was able to gather the energy to lift herself from the heat of the blanket, "Come on, Kuchiki. It's just a little chilly, you can do this. Just quickly shunpo to the manor…," she said, attempting to encourage herself.

It was the best day to not shove on the layers, right?

After tidying up her office, she took one step out of her office and instantly regretted it. "Fine, it's a bit too cold to shunpo to the manor," she grumbled to herself, "I'll just stop by Ichigo's quarters, since he's closer, and it's freezing outside. Nii-sama shouldn't mind [too much]."

Satisfied with her decision, she quickly shunpoed from roof top to roof top, holding her arms close at an attempt to be somewhat warm. She was more tolerant to colder temperatures than others, but even she had a limit. The temperature was way below average, and it was snowing for goodness sake! It almost made her wonder if Hitsugaya-taichou was really not amused right now, or he was just downright in a bad mood, a worse mood than normal if that was possible.

Closing up on Ichigo's house, she didn't even bother to knock and quickly opened the front door and closed it shut as quickly as she could. Shit, it was cold! She rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm herself up, yawning. She was also ridiculously tired, and couldn't wait to pass out. Ichigo had two bedrooms, and it wasn't uncommon for her to just come over and sleep at his house without notifying him. It wasn't proper Kuchiki behavior, and sounded way more intimate to others than what it actually was. Well, it was not like they slept in the same bed… all the time. It was just, um, friendly housing.

Whatever was his was hers. And whatever was hers, was _sometimes_ his, depending what it was, and if she felt generous. She was by no means selfish, it was just the way things were.

And no, they were not in a relationship.

Dragging herself like deadweight to Ichigo's room, she lethargically began to peel off her gloves, vice-captain's badge, and her shihakusho, throwing them on the ground. She slid over to Ichigo's drawers and rummaged around for one of his old t-shirts, and slid one on before jumping face first in his wonderfully comfortable bed.

On cold nights like tonight, it was common that they slept together… as in on the same bed, next to each other, fully clothed. What was wrong with a little body heat? If it kept them warm, then why the hell not? It's not like Byakuya had to know or anything.

Sighing in delight at finally being able to lie down and rest, she pulled at his comforter, and inhaled deeply into the pillow, his strong masculine scent filling her nostrils. It was rather comforting actually and sometimes helped her to fall asleep, which for some reason, sounded a bit strange for her to admit.

Right when she was about to fall asleep, the sound of the bathroom door opening down the hall brought her out of her hypnagogic state. Then, as if on cue to disrupt her from falling asleep, the lights in bedroom flickered on.

Rukia groaned, turning her head towards the door with her eyes practically closed. "Why'd you turn on the lights?"

"'Cause I need to find boxers. Unless you want me to sleep naked? I wouldn't mind either," Ichigo joked, chuckling at her half dead appearance.

She blinked the sleep out of her eyes, and finally looked at him, raising a brow at his half nakedness. "I'd rather not have you lay even four feet from me in the nude, Kurosaki. Don't get your hopes up," she joked back, brushing some strands of hair away from her face. "Aren't you freezing your ass off?" she suddenly asked, seeing as how he had a mere towel loosely wrapped around his waist, and a towel on top of his head.

"Hell yeah, I am," he said, looking through his drawers for a pair of boxers. Finding a pair, he made sure Rukia was turned away, which she was as this was probably a daily occurrence for them, before letting the towel fall and slipping them on. Stretching out his muscles for a moment, he rolled his eyes when he found Rukia's shihakusho thrown on the floor of his room, while she neatly put her badge and gloves on the nightstand. _Typical, Kuchiki, _he thought, a little chuckle making it to his throat.

Turning off the lights, he went onto the other side of his bed, and fell on top of it, exhaling at the luxury of simply laying down. Getting under his comforter, he put an arm behind his head, and rested the other to his side. "Oi, Rukia," he said, turning his head to look at her in the dark.

"What?" she answered, a little annoyance evident in her tone. She shifted under the blanket to look at him, the moonlight from the window shining on her face.

"Lately, people have been starting to think that we're together."

"Yeah, so? They've been thinking that for what? A hundred years?"

"No, I mean _together _together. As in, we sleep together," he said, not at all surprised at her indifference.

Now this caught her attention, "Wait, what?" she propped herself up and with her elbow on the pillow.

"People think we're sleeping together."

"Well, obviously. I meant, why?"

"How the hell should I know?"

They then just laid there in silence, and contemplated the possible reasons, until Ichigo piped up, "Maybe it's 'cause people always see you entering my house during the time everyone leaves?"

Rukia shrugged, "That could be it, but that can't possibly lead people to come to such an explicit conclusion."

He looked at her straight in the eye, a small smirk on his face, "If they saw my bedroom right now, they would definitely think that we're sexin' it up," he chuckled. "Your clothes are thrown all over my floor, you're in one of my oversized t-shirts, and I'm in only my boxers. You also have really messed up hair."

"Thanks for noticing, captain obvious," she glared at him, kicking him lightly with her foot. "And at most, they would think we're dating, not 'sexin' it up,' as you put it," she said, blowing a bang out of her face.

"I don't know about you, but this scene would look rather kinky to the average stranger," he sent her one of those sly yet charming grins of his, trapping the leg of the foot she had kicked him with, with both of his legs, enjoying her annoyance.

"You wish," she glared at him, attempting to pull her leg out of his grasp. She used her other foot to push him away, to no avail. She burned daggers through his head, not liking the grin on his face. "Ichigo, if you don't let my foot go, I'll make you wish you weren't born male," she said, with utmost seriousness… and a glint of, mischief?

"I'd like to see you try, Kuchiki," he said, with as much seriousness.

They both knew she wouldn't actually do anything _that _horrible, but she was still perfectly capable of causing him large amounts of pain. It was latish though, and she was dead tired.

Yawning, she blinked tears out of her eyes from the intenseness of the yawn, "Okay, as much as I would hate to turn down a challenge, I'm insanely tired, and would like to go to bed," she declared, dropping herself onto the back from her previous propped up position.

Ichigo laughed, ruffling her hair up a bit, "Fine, but don't wake up at your usual ungodly hour," he said, sending her a small grin that he wasn't sure if she saw, and proceeded to close his eyes.

Rukia merely groaned in response, probably already half asleep. Realizing he finally let go of her leg, she moved them freely on the bed until she comfortable, and placed an arm under her –Ichigo's- pillow and the other between her and the orange haired shinigami. The two laid there in the darkness, and slowly succumbed to sleep in the pure silence… until,

"Ichigo?"

"Hmm?"

"It's cold…," she mumbled.

A sigh was then heard from Ichigo, and then a shift in the blanket. "Come here," he said, lifting the blanket so she could scoot over.

After snuggling closer to his warmth, she exhaled at the heat that radiated off of him, melding in his embrace.

Okay, maybe they weren't "sexin' it up" or dating…

But there was _nothing_ wrong with sharing a little body heat.

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**A/N: **Thanks for reading! And happy holidays, guys! [I hope I can get a _His Kitsune, Her Werewolf_ update soonish too... ]

**PLEASE REVIEW****!**** I'd love to know who still reads my stories!**


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